An Evening of Paper-Cutting

Sonja Andersen, a graduate student in the Department of German at Princeton, has collaborated with the Humanities Council and “Being Human 2018: A Festival of the Humanities” to offer the community a free workshop on paper-cutting.

Learn about the evolution of this ancient art form, as well as how to cut paper into artworks with artist, Dan Landau, on November 26, 2018 at 6:15 p.m. in a free class at Labyrinth Books in Princeton, N.J. Participants will receive paper-cutting tools, templates and hands-on instruction in this intimately sized class.

The event is free and open to all community members aged 16+ but space is limited, and participants must register online with Everbrite.

The evening’s program will feature a brief conversation about the history of paper-cutting by Andersen, followed by a paper-cutting demonstration and tutorial by Landau.

“The research that I do about the seventeenth century has implications today,” says Andersen. “Paper was precious then, and even little scraps were saved for use in paper-cutting art. The simplicity and elegant economy of paper-cutting has attracted artists defiant of the mainstream; one thinks of Lotte Reiniger’s Scherenschnitte animation and Kara Walker’s striking silhouettes. It’s an unexpectedly powerful medium.” Andersen is currently writing a dissertation on seventeenth-century literature and media.

“Papercutting is a zen-like experience that requires patience and focus,” says Landau. “It’s very relaxing and provides the perfect antidote to our current atmosphere of buzzing screens.”

Combining the art disciplines of drawing and papercutting, Landau creates detailed artworks by drawing on paper roadmaps and then cutting out the empty spaces around the drawing and the roads with a craft knife. Focusing primarily on portraits, his work is characterized by intricate paper-cut details and bold ink drawings. Landau lives in Bridgewater, N.J. See Landau’s art and creation process at www.DanLandau.net.

For more information, email Sonja Andersen at sonjaa@princeton.edu.

Labyrinth Books is located at 122 Nassau Street, Princeton, N.J. Labyrinth is an acclaimed independent bookstore for engaged readers.